


The RA Next Door

by Swanny_Writer



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, alcohol mentioned but no one gets to drink any, bc jun doesn't approve lol, jun is an enthusiastic resident advisor, wonwoo just wants to stay in his room
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-21
Updated: 2017-04-21
Packaged: 2018-10-22 08:26:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10693245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swanny_Writer/pseuds/Swanny_Writer
Summary: Jun is the residential advisor on Wonwoo’s floor, and he’s determined to get every kid to participate in school socials, including Wonwoo, the guy who’s allergic to socials.(or the one where Jun keeps showing up at Wonwoo's door)





	The RA Next Door

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys,  
> So some of you wondered how I come out with WonHui fics so fast, and the answer is: I have no life XD
> 
> I hope you enjoy the fic, which may or may not have been inspired by true (if not GREATLY exaggerated) events...

It’s a Friday night, and Wonwoo has the dorm room to himself. Everything around him is quiet. Peaceful. He smiles contently, leaning back into his chair to enjoy the momentary solace. His roommate and suite mates all decided to go to some social event the school is putting up. Of course they invited Wonwoo along, too, but the latter had declined. He knew that getting the dorm all to himself is a rare occurrence, so whenever the chance arises, he grabs it.

It’s not to say that he dislikes his roommates. In fact, he is rather fond of the bunch. Except that they can be so  _loud_. Wonwoo just needs a break once in a while. Besides, he’d rather have a few hours to himself than interacting with his peers. Especially at a social. People fight over the littlest and stupidest things, like free t-shirts with huge and ugly logos on them. It’s not like any of them is ever going to wear that shirt after the event. Why waste energy fighting over it? Wonwoo doesn’t understand.  

After a few seconds appreciating the silence, he moves to grab his book and plop down into bed. A good book, a quiet evening to himself—that’s his ideal Friday night. He fluffs his pillow and lays back against the headboard. Hardly has he had the time to relax his muscles that a knock comes at the door. Shutting his eyes, he groans a low sound in the back of his throat. The knocking continues. He shoves his nose into the book. The knocker shows no sign of stopping.

“Mingyu better not have forgotten his keys or something,” Wonwoo mutters as he gets out of bed and stalks to the door.

Yanking the door with a little too much vigor, he startles the person on the other side.

“Oh, whoa!” Junhui—his RA—jumps back. 

“Sorry,” Wonwoo quickly apologizes, now feeling bad and worried over the appearance of the floor RA.

“No, it’s okay,” Junhui chuckles. His head tilts to the side slightly as he squints his eyes and studies Wonwoo. “Jeon Wonwoo, third year, Lit major,” he recites, pointer finger counting off the details.

“Right,” Wonwoo affirms. Junhui has a tendency to do that whenever he sees kids from his floor. Wonwoo figures it’s a way to remember everyone.

Personally, Wonwoo doesn’t know much of him, aside from the fact that they’re in the same year, and that he’s a Dance major. Also that he’s kind of a spazz, but the freshmen love it, so I guess it works for his job. Not that the upperclassmen hate him. In fact, his harebrained personality is off-set by friendliness and unfairly good looks, so there’s always a bunch of giggling girls around him. Wonwoo is a little surprised the girls from suite 205 aren’t standing by their door right now. 

“So what are you doing here?” Junhui asks, and Wonwoo blinks. 

Did he stare too long at Junhui’s face and blank out from an entire conversation up to this point?

“Uh… I live here?”

Junhui bursts into laughter at his response. The sound is light and lilting. Wonwoo likes it, and he cracks a sheepish smile. 

“No, that’s not what I mean,” the RA shakes his head, grinning. “There’s an ice cream social down in the Quad. Why aren’t you there getting free ice cream?”

“Ohhh…” Now Wonwoo understands. As part of an RA’s job, Junhui is supposed to encourage everyone to participate in the school activities. “Nah, I’m good.”

“What?” he arches a skeptical brow. “You don’t like ice cream?”

“No, it’s not that. I’m just doing some homework right now.”  _Okay, so that’s not really true_. But he figures if he uses homework as an excuse, he won’t be forced to go and socialize.

Both elegant brows quirk upward as Junhui stares at him. “You’re actually doing homework on a Friday night?”

“Yes.” Thank goodness for his natural poker face.

Junhui seems skeptical, though, his eyes narrowing as his grin turns into a smirk. “Okay… If you say so.” He shrugs. “If you decide to go, don’t wait too long, or there won’t be anything left besides empty bowls and crumbs.”

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind,” Wonwoo replies, already backing away to close the door.

“But!” the blond RA interrupts, causing Wonwoo to lean out again. “If you do get there too late, you can just drop my suite. There’s always plenty of ice cream there!” With a wink and a smirk, he spins on his heels and heads down the hall to the next door.

Wonwoo stays planted on the spot, replaying the last few seconds in his mind again.  _What just happened?_

Did his hot RA just invite him to his suite and wink at him? He doesn’t know what to make of it, so he closes the door and pretends the last five minutes didn’t happen. He also ignores the fact that his cheeks are ablaze, and that he now craves ice cream.

 

_________________________________________

 

A few days later, Wonwoo returns to the dorms from class, and he spots his friends sitting at one of the tables of the courtyard. He makes out Mingyu’s tall frame first, as the second year attempts to fix the umbrella to shade the whole group. As he get closer, he notices the unmistakable blond head of their RA, sitting besides Hansol, trying to feed him a strawberry at the end of a fork. Soonyoung and Seokmin are loud, as per usual, their voices and laughter carrying over to Wonwoo.

As he approaches, Mingyu and Soonyoung see him and wave him over. From the plates of food on the table among them, he’s guessing they’re enjoying a late lunch. Mingyu is chewing on a chicken wing, and Minghao scowls as he hands him a stack of napkins.

“Have some!” he offers, waving the chicken wing toward the food.

“I—“

Before he can properly answer, a strawberry is thrust toward him. He blinks, looking down the fork to Junhui’s hand. The one holding out the fruit looks at him expectantly, waving it a little. For reasons unknown, he feels the tips of his ears heating up. He can blame the sun this time, he thinks, as he mutters a thanks and takes the fork. As soon as he pops the berry into his mouth, Junhui smiles in satisfaction and turns back around to push the plates of food toward Hansol. 

“Are you done with class?” Seokmin asks him, biting into the burger.

“No, I have one more in the afternoon.”

“Wait, so you’re gonna miss the tie-dye party?”

Wonwoo shrugs, “Yeah, guess so.”

“It’s not like he was planning on going anyway,” Soonyoung laughs, grabbing a handful of chips. “He’s allergic to social events.”

“That’s true,” Mingyu chimes in. “Wonwoo never comes with us.”

“You can’t fully enjoy the college experience if you stay cooped up in your room whenever you’re not in class,” Soonyoung says. “I mean, even Jihoon goes to some of them.”

“Please don’t include me in your conversation,” the shorter boy mutters, sipping on the straw of his iced drink. “Besides, who cares about the ‘college experience’. Not everyone considers getting drunk with a bunch of obnoxious people an experience they need to go through.”

“Hey, no one’s getting drunk on school premises,” Junhui speaks up, squinting his eyes and pointing at the grinning suspects. 

“Oops!” Soonyoung laughs, running a hand through his black hair. “Who said anything about drinking, right?”

Jihoon rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “Anyway, what is that tie-dye party anyway? We’ve been bombarded by the emails and flyers, but no one really explained it.”

“They’ll just have a bunch of buckets and dyes available,” Junhui starts. “You just bring a while shirt, or whatever clothing article you want, and then you dunk it into the dye. It’s pretty fun if you know what you’re doing.” He laughs, grin reaching his eyes. "Everyone should try it out once in their life!"

Minghao snorts. “Does that mean you’re gonna go around knocking on everyone’s door of your floor and make them go? Like you do for every school event?”

Junhui’s face falls, and he turns concerned. “Does that bother people?” His brows pull together as he reaches up and tugs at his bottom lip, eyes upturned toward the faces of the ones standing. “Am I that overbearing?” When he turns, his questioning gaze meets Wonwoo’s. 

There is something so innocent about the way he worries about it that Wonwoo finds himself answering, “No, you’re not. You’re fine.”

He’s rewarded with a shaky smile. “Okay.”

This self-conscious, almost timid, Junhui is so different from the flirt from last week, Wonwoo is fascinated by the contrast. The moment is interrupted, however, by a dry cough. They look away from each other to see the rest of the table wearing matching looks of interest at the pair.

“Well,” Junhui clears his throat, “I gotta get going.” He stands up and throws away his used napkins. “I better see you guys there later.”

“I’m gonna head back to the room, too,” Wonwoo says a few seconds after Junhui leaves the group. 

The table gives a reply in unison, and he’s off.

He manages to catch up to Junhui by the staircase. The RA turns over his shoulder when he hears Wonwoo’s footsteps. “Oh, hello, again,” he greets with a smile.

“Hi,” Wonwoo says, a little too woodenly, but Junhui doesn’t seem to mind as they start to climb the stairs, Wonwoo lingering a couple steps behind. “Um,” he starts, glad he doesn’t have to meet the other’s gaze. “If I didn’t have class, I might have actually gone to this social.” He has no idea what prompts him to say that, but it’s too late now. The words are out, and Junhui is looking at him, a curious look in his large eyes.

“Why?” is all he asks.

_Good question,_ Wonwoo wants to tell him. Instead, he shrugs. “It’s in the middle of the day, and I’d actually have a new t-shirt.”

Junhui chuckles, nodding as if he gets it. “Kinda like a souvenir, or something tangible, to think back on, rather than just free food.” 

Wonwoo blinks. “Right.”

“Don’t worry, there’ll be other events,” Junhui reassures him with another warm smile. “But I’ll talk to the other RAs about your comment. I’m sure we can come up with more socials where students can bring home a keepsake.”

“Um… you don’t have to,” Wonwoo mutters, glancing away. His cheeks are definitely warm now. “I’m sure most college students would rather have a full stomach that keepsakes.”

But his self-deprecating comment doesn’t affect the cheerful RA, who insists, “Regardless, we’re supposed to cater to the student population, and you’re part of it. We should do things to make you happy, too.”

“Thanks,” is all Wonwoo can say, because he has no idea how else to respond to such sincerity and kindness.

 

That evening, while Wonwoo, Mingyu, Hansol, and Seungcheol are studying in the common area of their suite, someone comes knocking at the door.

“Hansol, go get it,” Seungcheol orders, eyes and fingers not leaving his laptop.

“Why do I have to go?” the youngest questions from his spot on the floor, raising himself on his elbows. “These problems sets are due tomorrow.”

“That’s why you shouldn’t have been procrastinating.”

Hansol snorts, picking up a gummy bear and throwing it at the fourth year. “Tell me that when you’re not trying to write a seven-page essay the night before it’s due.”

Picking up the gummy bear from his lap, the brunet pops it into his mouth. “Exactly,” he says, fingers still furiously typing. “I’m using my own experience to teach you important life lessons.”

Hansol rolls his eyes.

In the meantime, their guest is still trying to gain access into the dorm. The knocks are getting more insistent.

“Is no one going to answer?” Mingyu whisper-screams, balling up his piece of notebook paper and throwing it toward the overflowing trash can. “I am trying to concentrate!”

With an exasperated sigh, Wonwoo puts down his book and gets up to do the chore. 

He gets serious déjà vu when he pulls the door open and causes his RA to startle. “Sorry!” he manages to say quickly this time.

“That’s okay,” Junhui chuckles, “I didn’t mean to disturb you.” He throws a glance inside and gives the group a small wave.

“It’s fine,” Wonwoo reassures him, unconsciously moving forward and pulling the door with him. “We were just doing homework.”

Junhui throws him a mischievous smile. “Sounds a little familiar.”

The comment amuses Wonwoo, reminding him of the white lie he told Junhui last week to avoid the ice cream social. “Right,” he cracks a smile. “Is there another event tonight?”

“Nah,” the blond shakes his head, grin still dazzling. “I just came to give you this.”

That’s when Wonwoo notices the garment in the other’s hands. He’s not sure why he hasn’t noticed it before. It’s definitely not because he’s been too distracted by Junhui’s face.

Once Junhui hands it to him, his brain kicks in, and he finally understands. It’s a tie-dye t-shirt. “Oh!”

Junhui’s slightly nervous laugh makes him look up from the shirt. “It’s just… you know.” He shrugs, smiling sheepishly. “I know it’s not the same, since you weren’t there, and you didn’t make it yourself, but… I just thought…” Another shrug accompanied with a tiny smile. “I just thought maybe you’d like one anyway.”

“I do,” Wonwoo confirms, although it’s not until this very moment that that desire presents itself. “Thank you.” He smiles, and then a thought occurs to him. “Did you make this?”

Junhui rocks back and forth on the ball of his feet and heels, suddenly very interested in the flooring. The nod is almost indiscernible, but Wonwoo catches it, along with the rose hue creeping up the blond’s cheeks. The corners of Wonwoo’s lips tug upward, and he bits it back to remain somewhat cooler in this situation. Even though his sole thought at the moment is how adorable his RA looks.

“Thank you,” he says again. 

This time, Junhui lifts his head slightly, looking at Wonwoo from beneath his lashes. And it’s all Wonwoo can do to keep his hands to himself. “Okay, well, I better get going,” Junhui announces, slowly backing away. “You should get back to your homework.”

“Oh, right.” Suddenly, the present returns to Wonwoo’s consciousness. His entire suite is right behind the door, possibly hearing this entire conversation. At least they can’t see him and Junhui, not unless they crowd on the couch in order to look through the small gap between the door and its frame. “Um, thanks.” He waves the shirt, offering an abashed smile.

“You’re welcome.” The other nods, similar grin on his face as he waves and turns down the hall.

Once the blond is out of view, Wonwoo puts a hand over his chest and lets out a long sigh. His heartbeat hammers against his palm. After taking a couple breaths in an attempt to calm it down, he returns inside.

Three pairs of eyes focus on him, homework and essays forgotten. Slowly, he closes the door and pretends not to notice them. He reprises his seat on the floor, leaning back against the couch, and picks up his book. The shirt, he keeps it next to him.

“What was that about?” Hansol wonders, scooting over closer, eyes shining with interest. 

Wonwoo turns the page, eyes straining on the paper. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about how Junhui came to the door, and you guys flirted like crazy!” He hits Wonwoo’s foot with his pen. 

“We were not flirting,” he deadpans, kicking at the air, still not looking at his roommates. “We were just talking.”

“Oh, please,” Mingyu joins in. “Just tell us. When did that even begin? You were practically strangers at lunch earlier, and now you’re flirting and giving each other presents.”

“We should’ve known something was up when he fed him that strawberry,” Seungcheol states.

“What? That’s ridiculous! He was feeding Hansol before I even got there!” Wonwoo retorts.

“Oh-ho!” the two youngest harmonize, sharing knowing looks. “So you were watching him? How interesting!”

“Ugh, would you just shut up?”

“You should ask him out,” Seungcheol says casually. “The kid obviously likes you.”

Wonwoo looks over the top of his book. “Don’t you have an essay to write?”

They all laugh at his expense, but at least they return to their work and leave him (and his budding crush on his RA) alone.

 

_________________________________________

 

Easter Weekend comes around, and with it, a certain visitor at Wonwoo’s door. He blinks at the vision of Junhui in a white shirt and pink hoodie over blue jeans, holding a weaved basket. What really makes Wonwoo wonder if he’s hallucinating is the fact that his RA is wearing a pair of white bunny ears, staring at him with round and shiny eyes.  _How can someone look so adorable so effortlessly?_

“Happy Easter, Wonwoo!” he greets, flashing a smile as bright as the blooming flowers around the basket. 

“Um, Happy Easter,” the other croaks out, then clears his throat. “Is there an Easter egg hunt social or something?” he wonders.

Over the past couple weeks, Junhui has come to invite him to every single social without fault. Every time the RA comes to his door, the more difficult it gets to decline the offer. Wonwoo just feels that the day his resolve crumbles is approaching. A man can only have so much restraint. Their friends, on the other hand, have yet stopped to try to push them together. 

“What exactly is your problem?” Mingyu had asked one day. “Why won’t you go out with him? It’s obvious that you both like each other.”

Wonwoo didn’t know how to answer, because he doesn’t have the answer himself. Blame it on insecurities or self-doubts. Or the fact that he has no idea how to approach the dating territory. Not to mention the detail that Junhui is his RA. Can you even date your current RA without getting in trouble?

At any rate, because of the many questions swimming around his head, he’s arrived to this limbo state with Junhui, where they are kind of friends, but not really, yet kind of flirt with each other when they find themselves alone. It’s just a very murky territory that Wonwoo doesn’t know how to leave.

“Oh, that’s a good idea,” Junhui muses now, face upturned for a second. “We should organize that for next year. But anyway,” he shakes his head and grins again. “I’m here to give out treats today.” Extending the basket out toward Wonwoo, he shakes the contents a little. 

Wonwoo peeks inside to see chocolate and fruit flavored candy, mixed together with those pastel-colored plastic eggs that can be stuffed with small toys.

“You get a choice of either a piece of candy, or a mystery egg.”

“Mystery egg,” Wonwoo repeats with a quirked brow. “What kind of mystery?”

“The mysterious kind,” he laughs, and Wonwoo rolls his eyes, but laughs, too. “It’s not fun if I ruin the surprise.”

“It’s nothing weird, though, right? No angry bees or raw eggs?”

Junhui scrunches his nose and shakes his head. “Gross! I wouldn’t do that.”

Of course, Wonwoo knows that. But it’s still fun to tease the blond. “Which one would you choose?”

“Hm, well. If you want to play it safe, get some candy. But if you’re feeling adventurous,” he makes a quirky face.”You’ll choose the egg. So what shall it be, Jeon Wonwoo?”

All his life, Wonwoo has always been cautious, doing the right thing, being careful. But with Junhui’s sparkling eyes watching him with interest, he thinks maybe he should take a risk, even if it’s only something silly like an Easter egg surprise. So he reaches into the basket and plucks out the nearest egg, a blue one.

“Ooh!” Junhui chants, “Open it! Open it”

So he does. The plastic halves crack open, and a small folded piece of paper almost falls out. Carefully, Wonwoo cradles the egg halves and pulls out the paper to read what it says.

“Whoa!” he exclaims. “A ticket to the aquarium?”

“Cool!” Junhui approves. “You got lucky. Soonyoung got a coupon for Whole Foods. I don’t even know if he’s ever been inside of one.” Then he shrugs, sharing Wonwoo’s excitement. “Aren’t you glad you didn’t pick a lame piece of candy?”

“This is really awesome,” Wonwoo says, a little shocked that he got such a nice surprise. “I can’t believe how much you actually go through for our floor.”

“Oh, nah,” he waves his off (along with the creeping blush). “I’m just trying to be a good RA.”

“You really are.”

At Wonwoo’s words, the boys happen to meet each other’s eyes. A funny feeling builds in his stomach and spreads to his chest. It feels warm and cool at the same time, a fluttering that makes him both cringe and elated. 

“Oh my god, Junhui! You look so cute!” They break eye contact to glance toward the girlish shrieks and squeals.  _Yep_ , Wonwoo thinks. Here comes Junhui’s fan club, aka Suite 205. “You’re like the cutest Easter bunny ever!” one of them cries, causing Junhui to turn a shade redder, doing his best to smile politely at them, and avoid making eye contact. “Are you gonna drop by ours, too?”

“Yeah, of course!” he waves back, polite and nice as usual. His reply is met with another shriek, before the door is finally closed. The boys can still hear them shouting at each other to clean up the apartment before Junhui gets there.

The Easter bunny sighs, gripping the back of his neck. “Jihoon usually comes with me,” he tells Wonwoo. “He enjoys their reactions when they expect him to be all cute and cuddly, and he unleashes snarky remarks.” He chuckles. “But he can’t this year because he has to go grocery shopping, so I’m kind of nervous.” He throws a glance toward the girls’ suite, and Wonwoo sees the discomfort from having to endure their fervor on his own. 

From the few weeks that Wonwoo has gotten to know him, Junhui is actually rather shy and reserved despite his initial appearance and conduct. Maybe that’s one of the many qualities Wonwoo has come to find endearing about him.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Wonwoo proposes gently.

Junhui’s gaze flickers back to him. He can see the hesitation between wanting a companion and the need to not be a bother. The blond chews on his bottom lip, eyes darting from Wonwoo to the suite next door. Wonwoo takes the initiative by stepping forward and closing the door behind him.

“Let’s go.”

It looks like Junhui is ready to protest, but then he closes his mouth and nods. “Thanks.”

They walk along the hall, with Wonwoo grabbing the basket for something to do so he doesn’t look too awkward and out of place when they arrive in front of the next door. Junhui reaches out to knock, then quickly veers to the side, partially hidden behind Wonwoo. 

The girls inside the suite hush each other as one is heard running toward the door and yanking on it with a lot more force than either of the boys expects. 

Red cherry lips halt their ascend into a wide smile when their owner notices the second male standing at her door. “Oh, hey.” Her voice is much more subdued. 

Wonwoo offers a tight-lipped smile, waving half-heartedly. Behind him, Junhui rests his hands on his right shoulder and leans his chin over them. The third year feigns ignorance when his heart skips a beat. 

“Happy Easter!” the Easter Bunny exclaims, head titled cutely, eyes wide, smile charming. “We have treats!”

Another girl pops into the frame, making the boys startle a little at the sudden appearance. “Do you want to come inside? We’re just about to start a movie. We have snacks, too.”

“Oh, thanks!” Junhui replies, “But you girls enjoy. We still have to make the rounds.” He points to the basket in Wonwoo’s hands.

“You can join us afterward,” another one suggests, making her way over to stand right in front of Wonwoo. 

_Too close,_ he thinks, leaning back to keep his personal space  _personal_.

“Thanks,” Junhui smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. Wonwoo wonders if they can tell how uncomfortable he feels. Even if Junhui didn’t grip his shoulder a little too tightly, he can see the tiny crease forming between Junhui’s brows. 

Wonwoo shakes the basket at the girls. “You get one each,” he says straightforwardly. 

Even as they throw daggers at him, he lets it all slide off of his back. At least they’re getting a move on and poor Junhui can stop hiding soon. 

Once the door closes, and they’re walking away, Junhui visibly relaxes. “Thanks for coming with me,” he tells Wonwoo again. “I can handle it from here if you—“

“No, it’s fine,” Wonwoo pulls the basket out of the way before his companion can snatch it back. “I have time.”

Junhui smiles and nods. “Okay.”

They go around the whole floor, and for the most part, everyone is very nice and chill. When someone manages to get a good prize inside one of those pastel eggs, Junhui cheers along with them as if he’s also won the prize. It’s cute, Wonwoo thinks. On the other hand, when a second year ended up with a coupon for toothpaste, Junhui broke the rules and told him to get a piece of candy anyway.

“You can’t just break the rules because the kid looked sad,” Wonwoo tells him when once they were finished. 

“Did you not see him? He was about to cry!”

“No, he wasn’t,” Wonwoo scoffs. “No one cries over a coupon for toothpaste. And it's not like he can't use it. Everyone uses toothpaste.”

“But his friend got a ticket to the zoo,” the other argues. “He’s right to be disappointed.”

Wonwoo shrugs. “Well, life ain’t always fair.”

“You’re just saying that because you got a ticket to the aquarium,” the RA mutters as they round the corner toward his own suite. “If you had gotten a lame coupon, I would have let you choose a candy, too.”

“Gee, thanks…” 

Junhui laughs at his sarcastic remark. They arrive to the RA suite, and Wonwoo examines the now nearly empty basket. There’s about a handful of eggs along with some fruit-flavored candy. He waits as Junhui searches his pockets for the keycard, the movements getting progressively more erratic as the RA fumbles for every pocket he owns.

“No… Ugh.” With a dramatic  _thunk_ he drops his head against the door, hand sliding down the wood. “I can’t believe I forgot it.”

Actually, Wonwoo  _can_ believe it. He’s quite surprised Junhui hasn’t done it before, considering how scatterbrained the RA could get. With a little groan, he straightens back up and reaches for the basket again.

“Anyway, thanks for your help. I guess I’ll just go wait in the lounge until Jihoon gets back.”

Wonwoo has about two seconds to make a decision. Two seconds before it’s obvious that he’s staring. “Or you can just hang out at my place. When’s Jihoon supposed to come back, anyway?”

The blond pulls out his phone to check the time. “Maybe an hour?”

“That’s fine. Come on.” Not waiting to see if the other would follow, Wonwoo turns on his heels and heads toward his own suite. A second later, he hears hurried footsteps before Junhui falls into step with him.

“You can watch TV if you want,” he says once they’re inside, gesturing toward the couch and small appliance. 

When he turns toward Junhui, though, the latter seems to be searching for something. He’s trying to be discreet about it, but it doesn’t work very well. He cranes his neck behind the sparse furniture, his nose sniffling quietly. 

“Are you trying to look for any potential stashed alcohol?”

Junhui stops his search and laughs, “Sorry, force of habit.”

“I wouldn’t invite the RA over if we did. No one’s that dumb.”

“You’d be surprised,” the other mutters with a small laugh. 

“So then you write them up?”

“Well, I’m kind of forced to, otherwise  _I_ get in trouble. That’s why I keep telling you guys to not let me catch you. Not that I’m condoning it.”

Wonwoo cracks a smile. “Of course not.” He sets the basket on the coffee table.

“So, Mr. Lit Major,” Junhui says casually, swinging his arms. “Do you have any good book recommendations?”

Mr. Lit Major thinks for a second. “I do, actually.” He flicks his chin toward the open door of his room, and the two head for it.

“This is probably the cleanest college room I’ve ever seen,” Junhui praises as he walks in, glancing left and right, making Wonwoo chuckle.

“That’s all Mingyu,” he explains. “That kid loves cleaning, so I’m just benefiting from it.”

“Right,” the other scoffs lightly when he takes a look at Wonwoo’s bookshelf over his desk. “Because you’re not an organizing nut yourself.” He points to the rows of books, neatly arranged in size, genre, and book titles. 

Wonwoo shrugs. “It just looks nicer that way.”

“I agree,” he says, but his eyes are still scanning the spines, a happy and satisfied expression on his face. Wonwoo likes that expression, so he stares at Junhui while Junhui stares at his books. “Oh,  _Candide_!” he taps the small pocket book. “I had to read it for my Humanities class last quarter. It’s so weird and wacky, I love it.”

“Yeah,” Wonwoo grins. “The whole thing feels like a joke.”

“What did you think of the ending?” Junhui asks, putting a hand on the top of the book and asking silently for Wonwoo’s permission before pulling it out. When the owner agrees, he takes it and leans back against the desk, thumbing through the volume. In the meantime, Wonwoo takes a seat at his chair, and the two begin to discuss their various opinions.

Being a Lit major—and just a general a student—of course he’s had his fair share of book discussions. But none of them has been this interesting or enjoyable. Maybe it’s because they’re just friends  ~~ arguing ~~  discussing the topics, rather than trying to compete for a grade. Or maybe it's just Junhui's personality. Whatever the case may be, Wonwoo is having a great time.

He doesn’t even notice time passing until the electronic lock on the front door beeps, and Mingyu’s voice filters in. 

“Woah, whose candy is it? Can I have some?”

Junhui leans out a little in order to spot the second year through the doorway. “Go ahead and take some.”

“Oh, Junnie’s here! Oh, you’re the Easter Bunny, that explains the candy,” he grins, grabbing a chocolate bar. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” He throws his backpack at the foot of his desk and jumps on his bed.

“Nah, we were just talking about  _Dante’s Inferno,_ ” Junhui replies.

“Sorry,” Mingyu unwraps the candy. “Never read it.”

“You should,” Wonwoo advises, waving the book in his hand. “Expand your horizon.”

Mingyu rolls his eyes. “Right now, my horizon consists of the chem midterm two days from now.”

“Study hard!” their RA exclaims with a raised fist.

“Yeah, yeah.” He leans forward to chuck the wrapper into the trash bin under his desk and falls back against his pillows.

Junhui smiles indulgently as he checks his phone for the time. “Jihoon should be back by now, so I get going,” he says, standing up. “Thanks for today.”

“No problem.” Wonwoo stands up to walk him to the door. 

On his way out of the room, he stops by Mingyu’s bed and ruffles the second year’s hair. “Byeeeee!”

“Ark!” the younger cries out, swatting at the hands in his hair, but he’s laughing at it, waving as Junhui leaves.

When Wonwoo returns to their room, Mingyu is sitting up, propped up by his hands behind his back. “So what did you guys  _really_ do?” he wants to know, mischievous smile dancing on his lips, eyebrows waving suggestively.

“What do you mean?” Wonwoo puts away the books.

Even with his back turned, he can feel Mingyu rolling his eyes. “Come on, really? You guys had the whole room to yourselves for, what—how long was I gone? Two hours?—Anyway, you had the room to yourselves, and you really only talked about books?”

“Yes.”

“Ugh!” Mingyu throws a pillow at him, but he misses, and it lands on the floor instead. “You’re so lame! Just ask him out already!”

“Don’t you have a chem midterm to study for?”

 

_________________________________________

 

About a week later, on his way back from the library, Wonwoo spots Junhui by the announcement board of their floor. He’s just finishing stapling a flyer to the board when Wonwoo approaches and reads it over his shoulder.

“Karaoke Night?”

“Whoa!” The RA startles and whips around. “You know, most people greet each other with a ‘hi’ or ‘hello,’" he says sarcastically.

“Maybe I’m not ‘most people’,” he retorts back, which earns him an eye roll and a small laugh. “Anyway,” he gestures to the flyer. “Karaoke?”

“Yeah!” RA Junhui is on the job. “It’ll be really fun! We’ll have like, a stage in the Quad, and move the tables over so people can eat and have fun! If things go right, Jay—the RA on the third floor—might even be able to set a photo station!” He grins, dimples showing. “So you should come!” Pointing to the date and time, he says, “It’s on a Friday, and starts at six. You can’t use the excuse of having class and not show up.”

“What if I have homework to do?” Wonwoo teases, and Junhui pouts, scrunching up his nose. Wonwoo laughs heartily. “I don’t sing, though."

“No?” Junhui sounds skeptical, brow arched. “I think your voice would sound really good, though.”

Wonwoo glances away so that his creeping blush won’t be seen.

“Anyway, you don’t have to sing,” Junhui continues, still trying to convince him to go. “Just come and hang out.”

Turning around, he sees that Junhui is starting to sort out the announcements on the board, removing the out-of-date flyers. “Are you gonna sing?” he wonders, because now he’s very curious about Junhui’s singing voice for some unknown reason.

The other lets out a breathy laugh. “Nah, the event is for students. I’m just there to organize it and make sure things go smoothly.” Plucking out the pushpins, he stacks them into the clear box by his feet.

“You’re a student, too, though,” Wonwoo points out. “Doesn’t seem very fair that you and the other RAs put up all these events, and not get to participate, too.”

“It’s not that we can’t,” the blond corrects, standing back up. “I’m sure some of them will.”

“Okay, how about this.” Wonwoo moves so he can lean his arm against the wall and look at Junhui as the latter works on the board. “If you promise to sing, I might actually consider going.”

That gets Junhui’s attention. He stops halfway, fingers gripping the tack. “Seriously? I’ve been trying to get you to come to socials the entire quarter, and now you’re giving  _me_ an ultimatum?”

“It’s not really an ultimatum, just…” he shrugs. “Potentially hearing you sing would maybe convince me to go.”

Junhui scoffs. “I don’t know why you’re so interested in my singing, but I’ll just say that I’m majoring in Dance instead of Musical Theater for a reason.” But he sighs when he stares at a pouting Wonwoo. “Alright, fine. ONE song,” he puts up his index finger for emphasis, and Wonwoo grins, satisfied that he’s won.

“Great! Don’t forget!”

“You better show up!” the RA shouts after him as he heads down the corridor.

 

_________________________________________

 

On Friday night, Wonwoo finds himself entering the Quad, making his way through the crowds of noisy students. As promised, there’s a stage set up, with the karaoke machine and microphones. Some techs are running back and forth, plugging wires and testing out the sounds. A little farther away, next to the lawn, Wonwoo can see a table with a laptop hooked up, and Jay, the RA from the floor above his, playing with his camera. 

As he searches the crowd, he finally sees his friends standing by the left side of the stage, and he starts moving forward. Soonyoung is telling some sort of story, making Seokmin and Mingyu laugh, while Seungkwan looks on with a disapproving scowl. Jihoon sips on a soda, offering snarky remarks as per usual. 

“Look who actually showed up!” Soonyoung exclaims when he sees Wonwoo. “It only took almost a whole quarter, but better late than never, right?”

The group laughs, and Wonwoo shakes his head at their antics.

“I’m surprised you’re here, too,” he tells Jihoon.

The shorter boy shrugs and points toward the stage. “Showing up to socials comes with being Junhui’s roommate.”

“Ah,” he nods.

“No, but seriously,” Soonyoung cuts in. “Why did you decide to come to Karaoke Night of all things? Do you secretly have an angel’s voice that you’re going to bless us with?”

“What? No,” Wonwoo says. “I made a deal with Junhui.”

“What kind of deal?” Mingyu wants to know. “Did you finally ask him out?”

“No.”

"Did he ask you out?" Seungkwan wants to know.

“Would you guys just let him speak?” Jihoon interjects. “God!”

“Anyway,” he throws a cautious glance toward Jihoon. “I told him that if he sings tonight, I’ll come.”

He receives incredulous looks all around.

“I don’t know if this means Wonwoo  _really_ wants to hear Junhui sing,” Seokmin thinks aloud, “Or if it means Junhui really wants Wonwoo to come.”

“Both,” Mingyu and Seungkwan say at the same time.

“If I had known,” Jihoon comments, “I could have saved you the trouble.” When Wonwoo looks at him curiously, he elaborates. “Junhui sings every morning in the shower. Could’ve dropped by and listened in. Although that might be a problem for you since you don’t get up until eleven, and he’s up and going at six.”

“Being an RA is tough,” Seokmin muses.

“I think he’s just an early riser, regardless,” Soonyoung counters.

Wonwoo doesn’t really pay attention to that; he turns to Jihoon. “Does he sing well? He seemed kind of reluctant when I asked.”

Jihoon shrugs. “He’s not bad. Although it’d probably help if I was actually fully awake at the time to make the assessment.”

Wonwoo nods, but he can’t help feeling a tad envious of the fact that Jihoon gets to hear Junhui’s voice everyday, when he has yet to hear a peep. His musings come to a pause when Hansol and Minghao arrive. The group start to chat again, and the topics turn away from him and Junhui.

About a quarter after six, when the crowd gets a little fuller, the RAs go up on the stage to start off the event. The RA from the first floor points out the rules for anyone who wants to sing, then motions over to the camera station, and finally tells them that there is plenty of food that should all be eaten, because he really doesn’t want to have to take of the leftovers. The last comment gets a roar of laughter from the RAs and students alike. 

“Let’s go get food,” Hansol suggests. “I’m hungry.”

“When  _aren’t_ you?” Seungkwan mutters.

The friends split up to get different dishes and drinks, then reconvene at the table that Minghao and Mingyu saved. They spread out their loot, and Jihoon texts the other missing boys their current location. As they start to eat, music fills the air and one person after another go up on stage to sing their hearts out. When the song is popular enough, the audience sings along, and the whole thing is a lot more fun than Wonwoo expects it to be. So far, the singers have been halfway decent, and the audience hasn’t booed anyone yet. 

Partly through their meal, the fourth-years finally arrive, along with Chan, who goes to the high school down a couple blocks from their university. It’s a good thing the school is so strict with alcoholic beverages, Wonwoo thinks as he glimpses at a security guard making his rounds through the crowd.

Everyone scoots over to allow the extra four people to find seats, while Mingyu and Seungkwan run off to get more plates and drinks. By the time fresh fruits replace chicken wings and pizza slices, Seungkwan has decided that he wants a go at the karaoke machine. But he’s not willing to go alone; he wants to drag his fellow music majors with him. 

Jisoo seems reluctant as he sips his coke. “Isn’t that kind of cheating? I mean, we’re musicians.”

“Oh, who cares?” Jeonghan laughs, shaking his arm. “It’s just for fun, anyway. There’s no competition.”

“He says that,” Seungcheol speaks up, “But if the crowd doesn’t show more love for him than they did for the previous people, he’s gonna sulk.” He finishes his statement with a carefree laugh, which gets cut off by Jeonghan punching his shoulder.

“I wanna hear you guys perform,” Chan states, biting into a slice of watermelon. “I haven’t gotten the chance since the talent show.”

“See?” Jeonghan points to the youngest member. “We have a request. We gotta go.”

“You just want to show off,” Jihoon mutters, but still, he pushes his plate in and stands up along with the rest of them. 

“Good luck!” Hansol wishes with a wave.

The seven boys left at the table watch them cut through the audience and toward the stage. A couple minutes later, the music to some pop song comes on as they walk along the stage and stare out at the crowd. As expected, they nail the performance. The audience loves it, and it shows through the thunderous applause and screams. When they return to the table, Jeonghan is wearing a triumphant grin, which he directs toward Seungcheol. But Wonwoo isn’t even paying attention to them. He’s too busy focusing on the blond trailing behind Jihoon.

“Hey!” Junhui greets the table, dazzling smile and all. “Did you guys get food?” he throws a thumb behind him. “There’s really a lot, you should go back for seconds and thirds.”

“Did you eat?” Hansol asks, looking up at the older boy.

“Of course I have.”

“A carrot stick does not constitute food,” Seungkwan interjects, shoving a plate with two pizza slices into Junhui’s hands. Wonwoo has no idea how he got the food so fast, but he figures it’s one of the singer’s many talents. “Sit!”

Poor Junhui doesn’t have time to react before he’s guided by the shoulders toward the bench and forced to take a seat. Mingyu smiles in satisfaction at his own work, then returns to Minghao’s side. Junhui, still a little dazed by what just happened, blinks a couple times, then shrugs.

“You actually showed up,” he comments when he meets Wonwoo’s gaze. “I was kind of hoping you wouldn’t this time, actually,” he admits with a shaky laugh.

“Do you not want to sing that badly?”

He shrugs and chews on the pizza bite. Once he swallows, he says, “It’s just embarrassing.”

“Would it be less embarrassing if I eavesdropped on your morning routine?” As soon as the words leave his mouth, Wonwoo knows he’s made a mistake. The tips of his ears start to burn, and he doesn’t need bright lights to see that Junhui’s turning red, too. “Never mind, forget I said anything.”

“I can’t believe Jihoon sold me out,” the RA laments behind his hands. “I thought we were friends!” he cries dramatically to the musician, who merely grins evilly.

“We are,” he insists, “But that was for guilt-tripping me into going to every damn social you come up with.”

“Hmph!” Junhui pouts and sticks his tongue out. Which has no effect whatsoever on Jihoon.

They all have fun together, waiting on their latest arrival and making sure he’s eating properly. It feels so normal to have all thirteen boys at the same table, cracking jokes and sharing stories. It’s like they’re a complete set. Wonwoo finds that he likes it that way. 

“Should we go take pictures now?” Jeonghan suggests, pointing at the small line by the photo station. “Before it gets busy again.”

“Let’s go!” Soonyoung shouts, jumping up.

They quickly throw away their trash and walk over to Jay. There’s a table full of props, so of course the boys go to town with it. They try everything on from crazy hats, to flashy wigs, to cheesy mustaches, and oversized glasses. Wonwoo has no idea how many poses and pictures they took overall, but his head is spinning from the constant flashes, and his cheeks are sore from laughing so much. Once they have their fill, they move to the side for the next group. Junhui slips behind Jay’s computer and pulls up the pictures. The other twelve boys crowd behind him to point at the shots they want printed. After a few clicks, the printer comes alive and starts spitting the pictures out. And they get snatched up immediately. Junhui stands to the side and snickers at their reactions as they look through the photos.

Wonwoo pokes at his shoulder, and he turns. They move a little farther away on the lawn so they could hear each other better, and take a seat on the stone wall.

“Thanks for making me come here tonight,” he tells Junhui. “You were right. It’s really fun.”

The other beams at him, causing his heart to skip a beat again. “I’m really glad you’re enjoying yourself! I guess I should keep my end of the bargain, too,” he states, glancing toward the stage.

“It’s fine,” Wonwoo tugs on his wrist to keep him from leaving. “You don’t have to.”

Doe eyes widen in surprise. “But—"

“You can just let me hear you some other time,” he suggests with a sheepish smile. 

Junhui grins. “Okay.”

A series of loud and enthusiastic screams erupt over the volume of the crowd, and the boys turn toward their friends. Apparently, Seungcheol, Hansol, Mingyu, and Minghao have gone on stage, and they’re about to sing some hip hop song that the audience is love with. Junhui cups his hands around his mouth to add in his cheers, while Wonwoo claps with fervor. They laugh at their different approaches.

Once the music and the audience’s chants replace the sound of their laughter, Junhui meets Wonwoo’s eyes. They just stare at each other for a while. “Do you want to go back, or…”

“Or what?” Wonwoo wants to know, surprised his voice can sound normal considering how fast his heart is racing.

The corners of Junhui’s mouth lift up in a shy smile. “Or we can just stay here.”

Wonwoo isn’t sure which one moves in first, or if they’re fortunate enough to be one of those couples who can communicate through thoughts. One day, he’ll figure out the answer. But right now, all he needs to know is that he’s kissing Wen Junhui. 

His thunderous heartbeat and violent rush of blood through his arteries are a complete contrast to the feather-soft brushes against his lips. It's sweet and unhurried, and Wonwoo thinks that he might come to get addicted to this feeling.

Junhui lets out a tiny laugh when they break apart, leaning his forehead on Wonwoo’s shoulder. His cheeks are flushed, Wonwoo observes as he strokes his thumb over the soft skin.

“If I had known this is how you react to your first social, I would have tried harder to get you to go sooner.” Junhui’s breath blows against his heated skin, and he suppresses a pleasant shudder as he chuckles.

“Well, if this is how all socials end, I wouldn’t mind going to more in the future.”

Lifting his head slightly, he flashes Wonwoo a mischievous smirk. “What about only liking socials that have keepsakes, though?”

Wonwoo gently slides his hand under Junhui’s palm and laces their fingers together. “Guess I’ll have to do with you.”

Junhui’s blush is quickly overtaken by a beaming smile, and Wonwoo leans in to kiss him again.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading till the end! Yay!
> 
> Anyway, yes, Wonwoo is me freshman year of college. My RA was very adamant about getting all his students to participate in socials and experience "college." He was pretty cute, too, but alas, I did not end up making out with him... Oh wellz, at least I get a WonHui fic out of it LOL


End file.
